Aerosmith Return to the Stage Without Recovering Joey Kramer

When the members of Aerosmith needed to find a temporary fill-in for ailing drummer Joey Kramer, they didn’t have far to look.

Kramer fell ill before the band’s Aug. 13 tour stop in Concord, CA, forcing the cancellation of the gig and putting the group in a temporary bind while he’s on the mend following what’s being called a “minor medical procedure.” They were back on the road in time for their Aug. 16 show in Gorge, WA, but with a new guy at the drum kit: Joey’s son, Jesse Sky Kramer.

Jesse is no stranger to Aerosmith crowds; he’s appeared on and off at the band’s concerts over the past decade or so, adding percussion to their live arsenal, and he’s also one of eight writers credited on ‘Lover Alot,’ the second single from their 2012 album ‘Music From Another Dimension!.’ Thanks to some fan-shot footage uploaded to YouTube (which you can see above), you can see him playing during the Gorge show performance of ‘Walk This Way.’

The band hasn’t commented on the specifics of Kramer’s illness, but a recent Facebook post refuted rumors of heart problems, noting that he “has no history of a heart condition.” It also included an upbeat message from Kramer, who insisted he’s “feeling better than ever” and vowed to be “back sitting in the best seat in the house, hitting it harder than ever for our amazing fans.”

The next stop on Aerosmith’s ‘Let Rock Rule‘ tour, which finds the band sharing a bill with Slash, is scheduled for Aug. 19 in Denver. The current leg of the tour is set to end Sept. 12.